March 31, 2008

Did you know that you can trade in used electronics... iPods, digital cameras, computers, cell phones, etc. and get a Best Buy gift card? Go to Best Buy Trade-In Center online to fill out a "value estimator" for the particular product that you no longer need. Next, click the "get estimate" button and up will come your trade-in value. You even get a prepaid shipping label. Within 7 days, you'll receive a Best Buy gift card for the trade-in value amount. Kudos to Best Buy for offering this green alternative to filling the landfill with electronics castoffs.

March 30, 2008

I bought these jelly beans before Easter because their colors are different than the standard hues. However, I forgot about them until Easter had passed, so I wondered what I might do with them. Today I was given the most perfect reason to bring the jelly beans out of hiding. You see, I woke up this morning to read an email from Louie, who is the husband of my longtime friend, Deb, that caused my heart to ache and tears to flow. Here is the email that I received (in abbreviated form):

This letter is going out to family members and friends that may or may not know of the situation that Deb was in Friday night the 28th of March.

She woke up on that morning with what she describes as "rotating" or wavy vision around the edges of sight. This was apparently visible to Dr Sabir at Northern Eye who she went to see on an emergency run around 4:30PM. His concerns were real and he immediately sent her to the ER at St Joe's Hospital in Brainerd. I waited with her until her situation was revealed to us. The news was nearly impossible for me to absorb. Of the things that could cause this wavy vision were, MS, stroke, blood clot, tumor, aneurysm and a few other maladies that were also possibilities. We were informed that Deb would be sent by ambulance to St Joe's Hospital in St Paul where they had the best neurological staff and facilities for dealing with this type of thing. I was terrified, as was she. I put her in the ambulance at roughly 8:30PM.

That night I spent alone was flush with emotions as I called the kids, sisters, mothers, and friends to explain what was going on and to ask for prayers, while attempting to nuke some lasagna that Deb had prepared for Mom who was coming for supper that night. Just taking the lasagna out of the microwave, realizing that she had put it together, brought me to tears and begging God's mercy for what might lie ahead in St Paul. I spent an absolutely miserable night alone with my thoughts and a variety of prayers for intervention, healing, and grace.

I left home at 6 AM for St Paul. It was about 8:30 AM and she had finished her MRI scan. The doctor came in around 11:45 and gave us the results of the MRI. Nothing........no clots, no tumor, no stroke, no MS, no aneurysm, nothing. He just said "you're outa here." As much as I love Easter, and that feeling of being renewed, it paled to this information. Jen and Ross (2 of Deb and Louie's 3 children) lit up, Deb was flabbergasted, and I was......rewarded. God listened.

We finally left the hospital at 1:30 PM. We are home now, grateful, happy, and once again content in our little slice of heaven. Until Friday night, my prayer life was pretty minimal......no, it stunk......

Not any more.Louie

This day that I have dubbed Jelly Bean Sunday, I rejoice in my friends' answered prayers. I celebrate life with all of its beautiful colors by enjoying a jelly bean sundae. Colors all around me suddenly look so much more vibrant. They were always there, but I now notice them even more! I am blessed to have my friends, Deb and Louie.

March 28, 2008

These are my capris. They are my favorite pants right alongside my gardening bibs. As you can see by the tear running from one side seam across to the other, they are in dire need of mending. A simple fix with some wide rickrack that I purchased at a wonderfully fun shop called Parcel in Montclair, NJ and they are cute-as-can-be for a few more years.

It was my daughter, Jessica, that set the wheels in motion. She suggested that I add a strip of fabric above the existing border to cover the tear. Instead of fabric, I used rickrack that at the time of purchase I had no plans for, but I knew I would have a special use for one day. My capris have traveled on many journeys with me over the course of ten years or so. They are now ready to go another stretch with me.

March 25, 2008

When Dick and I vacationed in Jamaica twenty-five years ago, we watched in amazement as a limber man wrapped his bare legs and feet around the trunk of a tall tree clamoring to the very top where clusters of coconuts were hanging. He lopped off a coconut with his machete and, with as much dexterity and ease as in his ascent, he proceeded to return to the ground where we stood. He whacked open the coconut exposing a watery liquid, which we tasted. Many years later, when I began cooking with coconut milk because of the health benefits, I desired to learn more. When you puncture a coconut, the watery liquid that comes pouring out is called coconut water.Coconut cream is a far creamier liquid made from the white meat inside the coconut. The coconut meat is grated, soaked in hot water, and then strained through mesh or cheesecloth. Coconut milk is coconut cream that has been diluted with water. Good brands, which have not been artificially homogenized, will have thick cream floating on top while the milk at the bottom is much more watery. I am fascinated with the bright white color of coconut milk compared to regular milk. This photo doesn't really do justice to the actual striking white of the coconut milk in the glass on the left.

I made this “Creamy Colada Smoothie”, which is a piña colada spin-off because of its coconut and pineapple ingredients. (I purchased the vintage box of straws and the painted wooden Humpty Dumpty at a yard sale. The Sweetheart Mother Goose Drinking Straws box has its original 2/25 cents Woolworth's price sticker still attached to the lid. I imagine that possibly H.D. was originally a component of a baby's mobile hanging above a crib.)

Coconut Milk Smoothie

½ c orange juice, preferably fresh-squeezed

½ c crushed pineapple (I used chunk because I had it in my pantry.)

1/3 c coconut cream (I used light coconut milk.)

½ c milk

1 frozen banana, cut into chunks

I also added a kiwi and a 2 tbsp ground flaxseed. To make a thicker consistency, add crushed ice.

Place all ingredients into blender and whiz until smooth.

Today I decided to vary the Creamy Colada Smoothie recipe just a bit. I substituted pineapple juice for the orange juice, increased the coconut milk* to 1/2 c, eliminated the milk, and added 1/2 c strawberries. I used the 1/2 c. pineapple and 1 frozen banana, as in the original recipe, as well as added my usual flaxseed. That is the beauty of smoothies. You can do whatever floats your boat, you can march to the beat of a different drummer, or "If they give you ruled paper, write the other way." (Juan Ramon Jimenez) The coconut milk label is in such pitiful shape because I had already torn it from its can and tossed the can into a recycling bin when I decided to include it in my photo shoot. *Native Forest Coconut Milk, which is pictured in this post, contains organic coconut milk (organic coconut, water, and guar gum). An alternate brand, which is distributed by Natural Value, contains pure coconut extract and water... no guar gum. Without guar gum, it often solidifies, but you can simply warm the can prior to using.

March 24, 2008

Each year on Mother’s Day weekend in May, Friends School of St. Paul has the biggest fundraising plant sale in Minnesota, perhaps even in the Midwest! Over 1,900 varieties of plants are offered for sale on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I happily discover heirloom hard-to-find plant varieties to supplement the plants that I start on my own from heirloom seeds. The offerings are extremely reasonably priced. This year my sister, Rita, and I will be volunteering at the event.

The 2008 sale will be held May 9-11. The hours are:

Friday, May 9, from 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

Saturday, May 10, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Sunday, May 11, from 12 noon-4 pm. Sunday is half price.

The sale is held in the Minnesota State Fair’s Grandstand Building. Free parking is available anywhere on the Fairgrounds, but especially in the Midway, which is located just southwest of the Grandstand.

Offered is a full line of annuals, perennials, climbing plants, native wildflowers, and vegetables, as well as water plants, roses, and trees and shrubs. A catalog of 2008 offerings is available for reference, with PDF versions available in the catalog section of the site. I find it helpful to formulate a list of desired plants by browsing the catalog in advance, as well as familiarizing myself with the layout of the sale. There is a sale setup diagram in the catalog. It is a well-attended event so, even though there is some opportunity for browsing to glean some unexpected finds, plants fly off the shelves and you don't want to be disappointed with being greeted by a sold out sign.

Printed versions of the catalog are mailed around April 1 each year to anyone on their mailing list or can be found at many libraries, coffee shops and natural food co-ops in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. If you’d like to get on the mailing list for next year, email: frontoffice@fsmn.org– include “add to plant sale list” in the reference line.

Entirely volunteer-run, you can become a volunteer (which gives the added incentive of being able to shop at the pre-sale Thursday event). Signups are open February 1 through the week of the sale.

A little Friends School background... (Info. acquired from the Friends School web site) "In 1988, local Quakers and peace activists founded Friends School of Minnesota. In the tradition of the 80 Quaker Friends Schools across the United States, Friends School of Minnesota meets children's intellectual, emotional and spiritual needs in an environment that nurtures their social consciousness.

Friends School of Minnesota currently has 154 students and a faculty of 15. FSM offers a rich K-8 program in which in-depth academic studies are supported by peaceful forms of conflict resolution. We are a diverse community with students from a broad range of religious and non-religious backgrounds, including 15 percent from Quaker families. We welcome ethnic and economic diversity."

I made this dessert for Easter dinner yesterday when my kids came to visit. It was a light ending to our meal with just the right amount of lemony flavor. I will most certainly be serving it to my bed and breakfast guests for a summer evening dessert.

Frozen Lemon Dessert

4 egg yolks

2/3 c sugar

1 tbsp grated lemon rind

¼ c lemon juice

1/8 tsp salt

4 egg whites at room temp

1 c heavy whipping cream, whipped

¾ c crushed vanilla wafers

In a mixer bowl at high speed, beat egg yolks until very thick and pale yellow; gradually beat in sugar. Add lemon rind, lemon juice, and salt and beat until well blended. Transfer to a saucepan. Cook and stir over low heat until thickened. It burns easily, so watch diligently. Remove from heat; cool.

In a mixer bowl at high speed, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into egg yolk mixture until no streaks remain. Fold in whipped cream.

Spread half of the cookie crumbs in bottom of 8x8x2-inch baking dish. Spoon in lemon mixture; top with remaining crumbs. Freeze at least 2 hours or until firm.

Plate up 15 minutes before serving so it has time to thaw a bit but not get too soft.

March 23, 2008

On Easter Eve, as a child, my siblings and I would each lay our coat onto the floor so the Easter Bunny could hide candy and dyed eggs in the sleeves and pockets. I don't know where the practice of using a coat vs. a basket originated... maybe it is a German custom from my ancestry... possibly simple frugality. Whatever its origin, I passed this tradition on to my own children and now my grandchildren are waking at the first sign of daylight on Easter morning to discover treats hidden in sleeves and pockets. This year our 2 1/2 year-old grandson, visiting us from New Jersey, used his jammies instead of a coat which produced the same excitement that I remember as a kid.

I made these "big kid style" Easter baskets for my daughters by filling colorful colanders with a variety of items that I was drawn to because of the brightly-colored packaging and simple artwork. A hand-crocheted dishcloth, a sprinkling of candy... jelly beans and a Cadbury Creme Egg... it's just not Easter without them... with some sustainable corn-based plastic shreds to fill in the gaps and make it complete.

March 22, 2008

For Easter, why not have fun with natural egg dyes instead of food coloring? Tumeric powder produces a bright yellow to deep gold color, red cabbage-blue/teal, yellow onion skins-light peach to gold/orange, grape juice-blue to purple, red beets-magenta red, red cabbage and tumeric-green, red cabbage and beet-purple, and red onion skins-pale celadon green. The natural egg dye recipes use items you probably already have in your pantry/fridge and, if not, they'd be worth a trip to the store to purchase them. The recipes, with directions and hints, are from Lakewinds Natural Foods Co-op with stores in Minnetonka, Anoka, and Chanhassen (Minnesota). (Update: Another online source that provides a helpful tutorial with additional natural dye suggestions is Frontier Natural Products Co-op.) I used brown eggs since that's the color my "Red Star" and "Black Star" hens lay. The colors may vary a tad if you use white eggs. Also, how long you leave the eggs in the dye will determine their color. I left mine overnight in the fridge to work their magic.

I had some raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar in my fridge as well as some rice vinegar, but I couldn't resist the "Got eggs?" label I spied on a white vinegar bottle sitting on the grocery store shelf. Egg dye instructions call for white vinegar anyway. Does anyone know why? Why not apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar or rice vinegar? My daughter, Heather, has dyed eggs naturally with her daughters, too, and she suggested wrapping rubber bands of varying widths around the eggs as a quick way to create a pattern. As you can see, it works very well. Notice the egg in the upper right hand corner. It gets its speckles from pieces of chopped red cabbage setting on the egg while it's soaking in its water bath. I purchased the cardboard box with dividers at a huge Renninger's Antique Extravaganza held in Mount Dora, Florida three times a year. It's always the 3rd weekend in November, January, and February.

This closeup gives you a better perspective of the unique beauty of the eggs's speckles and swirls of color. Let your creative spirit flow and try new and different combinations of veggies, fruits, and seasonings. Heather used spinach. I will try that next time.

I conducted an experiment to see if the egg dye bath had enough color left for a second go-round. As the photo above attests, the color comes out just as pretty as the first time. I used nonboiled eggs for the test group. Afterall, how many boiled eggs can one eat?! My bed and breakfast guests may be greeted with boiled eggs on their breakfast menu... in colors of the rainbow!

March 19, 2008

Dick and I enjoyed a "raw food" breakfast at the Ecopolitan Restaurant in Minneapolis in the fall of 2007 after attending a play at the Old Loghouse Theater in Excelsior the night before. This afternoon, I made this yummy nutritious Green Smoothie, a recipe provided by Dr. Adiel Tel-Oren founder of Ecopolitan.

Green Smoothie Serves 1

Handful of spinach

1 frozen banana

1 pear, juiced (I cut it into chunks instead.)

1 tsp vanilla

2 dates

½-1 c water, to thin

Whiz in blender.

I always add flax seed which I freshly grind in a small coffee bean grinder. If I have a kiwi I toss that in too. Note: If you add a kiwi, use a food processor rather than a blender to prevent crushing the seeds which makes a bitter taste.

Here is some information on the Ecopolitan Restaurant, the founder, and some additional raw food recipes that you might want to try:

Not only does Ecopolitan strive to offer its customers the healthiest 100% vegan, organic raw foods possible, but it is also concerned with the purity of the air and water in the restaurant. Owner Adiel Tel-Oren, M.D. and certified clinical nutritionist, has brought this eatery and its customers to a higher level of awareness about conserving the earth's ecology. He has taken steps to put ecology into everyday practice.

By serving organic vegan foods, he conserves the earth's water and topsoil resources. A reverse osmosis water filtering system insures pure water for washing all the restaurant's produce and preparing drinks and juices. In addition, all produce is soaked in a diluted, food-grade hydrogen peroxide, and dishes are washed in this solution as well.

Another ecological focus is the Oxygen Bar that adds pure oxygen to the air in the restaurant (when the oxygen is not in use by the customers).

The restaurant's wine selection also reflects its philosophy with 100% organic non-sulfite-added raw vegan wines at affordable prices. Even the central location of the eatery was chosen with an ecological focus to allow easy access by foot, bus, or bicycle rather than by car, though convenient off-street parking is available.

The opening of Ecopolitan two years ago was sparked by a few of Dr. Tel-Oren's patients, especially one who invited him to a raw potluck. Soon after, his nephew, Ofek, discovered Raw: The Uncook Book by Juliano. The book sparked more than a mild interest and inspired the doctor with its exciting flavors, colors, and unique combinations of ingredients.

Dr. Tel-Oren, a vegetarian from birth, had been following a vegan regimen for two years prior to opening the restaurant. After many experiments creating his own raw dishes and growing a kitchen sprout garden, he began to question the practice of buying fresh, organic whole foods and proceeding to cook the enzyme life out of them. The unecological practice of buying packaged foods that add to the country's overloaded landfills became another issue that concerned him.

Now the restaurant sends regular smoothie take-out customers home with glass containers that are returned and recycled. Further, Ecopolitan composts all of its kitchen waste, leaving almost nothing to fill the trash containers.

Some of the tasty offerings hungry diners can sample include unique appetizers such as Essene Bread with Pumpkin Seed Paté or Dried Black Figs stuffed with strawberry-marinated eggplant and cashews.

Entreés like the Green Burrito include curried garbanzo paté, seasonal vegetables, marinated mushrooms, sprouts, and sunflower seeds, wrapped in a collard leaf and served with salsa, guacamole, and mixed greens on the side. Pizza lovers can choose the Pesto, the Mediterranean, the Red Avocado, or the Marinara Pizza, all heaping with colorful toppings.

Diners can satisfy the sweet cravings with Carob Mousse, the Daily Special Pie, Berry Parfait, or the UnCookie of the Day. Additional offerings include fresh juices, smoothies, and exotic drinks.

In addition to enjoying great raw food, customers can shop for a variety of natural, non-toxic home and body products.

Ecopolitan is as much about education and community support as it is about delicious, healthy raw foods. Its doors are open to non-profit organizations that need a meeting place.

March 17, 2008

The girl in my granddaughter Madigan's drawing is really in the St. Patrick's Day spirit with her pretty green complexion... or she's had one too many bowls of corned beef and cabbage. Happy St. Patrick's Day!